A Failproof Formula for March Break Fun on a Budget

Last year, one of my earliest articles began with a confession about March Break fun. (Spring Break, for my American friends).

A confession that I turn all shades of green when I hear people planning exotic adventures,

It’s true.

Olive. Chartreuse. Even Army Green.

All of them.

Of course I would love to scoop up my little family and whisk them away for an exotic vacation. So we have been saving up for this adventure for a while. But because we have committed to paying cash for items, it is taking longer than expected.

Somehow my kids didn’t look impressed last year when I mentioned we had saved enough for passports.

In a very multicultural school, they are surrounded by friends who fly to Dubai for the weekend. Or travel to Europe for a week or two.

I try to convince them the airplane in kiddie land counts as real travel, but I don’t think they’re buying it. Exit when the ride comes to a complete stop is apparently not the same as a pilot bringing us to safety in the upright position.

Comparison is a tricky thing, isn’t it? For them. For us.

Depending on where we set our compass, we are either abundantly wealthy or missing out on first-class adventures. Mostly the first one.

So until we have gathered enough Air Miles or cash to cover flights and accommodations, we keep saving. And our children learn patience alongside their big people.

And we fill our March breaks with an abundance of adventure. Homespun, picture worthy day trips. Laughter that is not sold at a duty free shop, and is ours.

Care to come along?

In fact, March Break has become one of our favourite weeks as a family. All of the cousins gather together, including those who live five hours away. Pretty sure the sleepovers are the very favourite event every year.

You can imagine that combining nine children, with a huge age gap (currently 2 – 16 years), involves some preplanning. We do need to be more scheduled than normal in order to keep the kids entertained and the siblings from squabbling.

I’ve taken all my tricks and secrets and compiled a free ebook for you. Let’s prove together that March Break fun can be affordable. And we can collect beautiful pictures and memories from local adventures.

In the meantime, notice the colour of the ebook’s cover.

A nice cheery springy green.

We’re embracing the positive while we wait.

Baby steps, right?

Know anyone who could use actionable tips like these? Show that you like to share too – and send them over here to sign up for their own copy.

The more the merrier.

What are your best tips for having local fun on a budget? Or comment below about how you deal with those terrible green feelings. I’m listening.

Karen Gauvreau would squeeze her four-baby-body into a cheerleader's uniform for you to know someone is rooting for you as a Mom - cartwheeling for your victories and offering a pep talk when you feel pummelled. If you laugh in the process, even better.